As an aspiring filmmaker, one of my pleasures in life is a good lens. Unfortunately, I don't own any. I have the kit lens that came with my camera and the good old nifty 50 (Canon 50mm F/1.8). This doesn't exactly give me a wide range of lenses to choose from in a shoot, so lately I've been searching for some new glass to add to my collection. I'm hoping to share some of the knowledge I've gained from constantly searching for affordable lenses, so, here it goes.
The first lens I'm looking at is the
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. This lens is as good as it gets for a crop sensor like the T2i. Even on the new camera Black Magic Cinema camera with the large crop factor, this lens is a really good choice. On a full frame sensor like the Canon 5d however, this lens will suffer from some vignetting, so one may want to go for a lens that isn't as wide on that. This lens is very fast for wide glass, so it performs very well in low light and if you need to get that shallow depth of field. Priced at around $700 new, it can definitely put a dent in your wallet, but I suggest buying it used on ebay for around 4-600.
The next lens on my radar is the
Sigma 30mm f/1.4. This bad boy has a 50mm equivalent focal length on a crop sensor camera, making it a good buy for someone like myself. This lens is pretty sharp, at wide open it will start to get a little bit more soft, but it's always nice to have that extremely fast option. Priced at $489.00, it's also not exactly "cheap", but for a lens this is a great deal.
If I had to choose one lens that I could have right now it would be between the
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 and the
Canon 24-105mm f/4.0. I have a friend who owns both of these and he has let me borrow them on occasion. These lenses are beautiful. When it comes down to it, someone like myself would probably go for the 24-105mm since it has image stabilization, and when you are doing a lot of video it's a life saver. From personal experience I found the 24-70mm to be a bit more sharp though which is also a major selling point. But these are both great and versatile lenses that I would love to own once I have the cash. Being part of the L (luxury) series of canon lenses, they cost quite a bit. Each will cost you over $800 at the very least.
If you're not into selling your soul to buy some nice lenses there are other options, and despite what people say, the kit lens is not that bad. Some friends and I (Clinton, Grant, Andrew) that are in this class shot a 48 hour film last semester on a Canon T3i with most of it being shot with the 18-55mm kit lens. I think it looks pretty good, but I could be wrong. Here's the movie:
Other alternatives to more expensive lenses can be found on both ebay and BH Photo's website. If you go to the used section on BH Photo you can find some great deals on old telephotos and primes selling for less than $100, which if you know lenses, is a steal. Overall though, I suggest researching on your own and determining what is best for your needs and techniques. One thing to remember after you own your first camera body is, you're investing in glass which should last a long time, not the body, which you'll replace in a few years.
